The present invention relates in general to crushing glass articles and in particular to crushing glass for subsequent recycling or for reduced disposal volume, and safety in disposal.
In recent years disposal and recycling of containers and waste products have become a national and worldwide concern. In particular, concern is addressed to the volume of land disposal area that is required to contain glass containers as well as other waste products. In reality many of these glass containers may be recycled or reused to form other products or used in products as an aggregate such as, but not limited to, paving materials.
Several states, municipalities, and conservation groups have promoted the recycling of glass products or the return of glass products for recycling. Some localities have mandated that glass products be submitted for recycling as opposed to disposal in a landfill. Unfortunately, as well intentioned as these mandates and requests may be, they do not address the inconvenience of localized storage and transport of glass products whether for disposal or recycling. Households very often have limited space and the occupants do not desire to store numerous glass articles for a weekly, bi-weekly, or less frequent pickup of recycle products. An additional problem with glass products is the risk of injury when the article is merely broken so as to reduce storage space.
Several devices have been utilized for separating glass products for recycling in commercial processes. Other systems have been utilized that reduce all material which is placed into the system into a fine mesh. However, heretofore there has not been an effective compact system that transforms glass products into cullet (broken or refuse glass). In particular, there has not been an efficient, cost effective manner for an individual or small group of people to convert waste glass products into a fine, polished cullet suitable for recycling and/or reducing the original product to a consistency suitable for conventional disposal and in a condition in which the cullet is substantially polished so as to reduce the risk of puncture or other injury to a person.
It would be a benefit therefor to have a method and apparatus for crushing glass that is suitable for household use. It would be a still further benefit to have a method and apparatus for crushing glass into a cullet for reducing the volume of the original glass product in a safe manner for disposal. It would be an additional benefit to have a method and apparatus for crushing glass products into a cullet that may be suitable for recycling or utilization as an aggregate in a product.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact unit for crushing glass articles to a degree suitable for reduced volume disposal.
It is a further object to provide a compact unit for crushing glass articles to a degree in which the glass particles are polished to reduce the risk of cutting or puncture to a person.
It is a still further object to provide a compact unit for crushing glass articles that is relatively inexpensive and efficient.
Accordingly, a glass smasher is provided of the type for placement of glass articles for reduction to a particle size for reduced volumetric disposal and/or recycling purposes. Recycling may include reforming into another glass product or use as an aggregate. The glass smasher includes a rotatable barrel which may be divided into one or more internal chambers. At least a first chamber is formed having means for impacting a glass article disposed within the first chamber when the barrel is rotated. The first chamber may include an impacting device connected to an interior service of the barrel chamber and/or free moving or floating smashing members such as ball bearings, bars or the like. When an article(s) of glass is placed in the first chamber and the barrel is rotated the article is broken into particles. These particles may be rotated and continued to impact the plates until a desired size is achieved. Once a desired size is achieved in the first chamber the particles may be passed though a partition into a second chamber or out of the barrel into a collection collar or bin.
It should be recognized that there may be numerous chambers formed within the barrel. Each chamber reducing the size of the particles and/or polishing off some of the sharper edges on the particles. Each chamber may include free moving smashing objects to crush the glass particles and/or sharding plates connected to the interior of the barrel.
It may be desired to include a filter system such as an air filtration system so as to reduce fine glass particulate which is atomized or disposed as dust. The filtration system may be connected in several locations singularly or in combination. For example a vacuum filtration system may be connected via a rotatable connector to one or both ends of the barrel. The filtration system may be connected to the particle collector collar or approximate the discharge of the particles into the container. It may additionally be desired to filter the atmosphere around the barrel which may be contained within a cover. This cover can also be used as an acoustical cover.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.